Of Riceballs & Tapenade
by Kaizoku no Kazoku
Summary: Dedicated to aechfic: Luffy is a 19 year old man who, after being wrongly arrested, is doing community service in a nursing home. There, he meets and befriends a young quadriplegic named Zoro, who was victim of a horrible drunk driving accident. Luffy wants to be more than friends, but Zoro still grieves over his old boyfriend, whom he lost in the accident. LuZo, mentions of SanZo
1. A Friendship Is Born

**Dedicated to aechfic: This probably doesn't hold a candle to Crossfire (Redux), but I hope you like it all the same. I really hope everyone else likes it too! (^_^)**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Luffy sat in the cafeteria of the nursing home trying to choke down a meal even <em>he<em> couldn't quite stomach. He'd forgotten his own lunch at home, something he'd realized too late that lunch break. He put down his fork after finishing only half his meal, and got up from the table, taking his tray to the place where he was supposed to drop it off after eating.

As he angrily trudged back to the station where he worked, he thought about how he'd gotten here in the first place. He'd been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the police had arrested him. He'd shown up in court and, because it had been his first offense, had received two weeks community service... in a nursing home of all places! He had nothing against the elderly, but even though he'd had some nursing training, working here caring for the elderly just wasn't his thing.

He was about to go into the linen closet to grab some bedsheets to put on his cart (he was on bed making duty today), when out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a by-now familiar head of green hair. He turned toward the head as the young man it belonged to slowly crept by in his power wheelchair, seemingly completely oblivious to being gawked at.

Luffy had been here for four days of his two week sentence, and in that time, he had noticed something. The green-haired guy (who's last name, Roronoa, was stickered on the back of his chair along with his room number) was the only resident here who was even remotely close to his age. He appeared to be in his early 20's or thereabouts, he rarely spoke to anyone, and one perpetually closed eye sported a long vertical scar. Also, to say he had a depressed air about him would have been a gross understatement. He looked as if there were a literal grey cloud over his head at all times. Luffy watched the wheelchair as it continued to creep slowly down the hall.

Suddenly, it stopped, and even though Luffy could only see the back of the man's head, he could tell the man was confused, as if he'd only just now realized where he was. "Shit." He heard the man swear quietly. He watched the man then quickly maneuver his way into a tight looking alcove... where his wheelchair got promptly stuck between the inner walls.

"Shit!" The man swore again, this time more loudly, as he inched the chair backward and forward, trying and failing to work it free.

Luffy left his cart and rushed over to the young man in the wheelchair. "Where were you trying to go?"

"I was trying to turn around," The green-haired man replied, sighing heavily. "Shit," he swore yet again.

Given the many different ways the man was secured into his chair, Luffy guessed that he was probably a para- no, quadriplegic. He wondered what had happened to him.

"Oi! If you're gonna stand there, don't just stare, help me!" The man grumbled.

Luffy nodded, and after some thought, he tried the same method the green-haired man had tried. He seemed to get no further out of the alcove than he had the first time. "Boy, you really are stuck," Luffy commented.

"Nice observation," The man apparently named Roronoa said sarcastically. "Just... go get a CNA, okay?"

"Wait," Luffy said, thinking again for a second. Then he stooped down, grabbed the part of the legrest that was closest to him, braced himself, and used all the strength he had to yank the front part of the wheelchair free of the alcove. When Luffy gazed up at Roronoa's face, for the first time since he'd begun working here, he saw a look so unlike his usual appearance, that had Luffy not known better, he would have sworn was a different man. The cloud was gone, and on Roronoa's face was a look of utter amazement.

"...Thanks," The man Roronoa said once he found his tongue again. "...You're a lot stronger than you look."

"I... used to wrestle with my older brother," Luffy told him as he stood up again.

"Used to?" The man called Roronoa asked.

"I lost him... two years ago..." Luffy said, trailing off as tears pricked his eyes and threatened to obscure his vision.

Roronoa lowered his head. "I'm sorry you had to go through something like that."

"Thanks," Luffy said as he quickly wiped his eyes with his arm.

One of the CNA's angrily called out to Luffy. He swore inwardly. "I need to get back to work. Can you get back to your room okay?"

"Yeah, I can, as long as I can avoid these alcoves," he said as he carefully turned his wheelchair in the opposite direction. "It's hard to navigate a wheelchair with the one semi-good hand."

"I see. Anyway, it was nice meeting you... um... Roronoa?" Luffy said, unsure of what to call the man.

"You can call me Zoro." The man said as he slowly wheeled himself down the hall.

"Zoro..." Luffy whispered to himself, before hurrying back to his cart.


	2. I Lost Everything

**This chapter's a bit longer. Please enjoy! Also, I apologize to all the Sanji fans in advance!  
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><p>The next day, Luffy was on lunch duty, which meant that he had to make sure all the residents had their lunches and that the finished lunches were picked up before he'd get his own lunch break. He sighed. At least he'd get to talk to Zoro again, if only for a minute or two.<p>

It took some time, but he'd finally worked his way down to Zoro's room. 255 was the number on and beside the door. Even though the door was ajar, he knocked before peeking in. "Hey Zoro~! They didn't have..." Luffy trailed off as he noticed a woman, who looked to be a few years older than Zoro, sitting in a chair facing the green-haired man. He also appeared to have lunch already.

She'd looked up as Luffy spoke, smiled at him, turned to Zoro, and asked, "Is this him? He called you Zoro."

Zoro blushed and looked away. "Yeah..."

"I just wanted to tell him that they didn't give me a lunch for him," Luffy said as he walked over to Zoro's wheelchair. "I didn't know he had a visitor."

"Oh, that's okay," the woman said smiling warmly. "I brought him lunch from home."

"Home?"

"Oh! I should have introduced myself," she said standing and extending a hand. "I'm Zoro's sister, Kuina. He's told me how you helped him yesteday."

Luffy took the hand, shaking it once. He grinned bashfully. "He got stuck, I just helped him get unstuck."

"Well, thank you... um..."

"Luffy."

"Thank you, Luffy," Kuina said gratefully. "Zoro's still not quite used to maneuvering a wheelchair yet."

"...Kuina..." Zoro said, blushing in embarrassment.

She turned back to Zoro, "But you'll get the hang of it one day. Okay, let's get some food into you."

"Not yet," Zoro quietly muttered, eyes averted.

Kuina smiled again. "It's okay, Little Brother. He probably already knows."

"No," Zoro protested.

A long silence ensued, Zoro not giving in. Luffy finally broke that silence, figuring out why Zoro didn't want to eat in front of him. "She has to feed you."

The mortified look on Zoro's face turned more neutral again at Luffy's next words. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."

Zoro was quiet for another long moment. Then he spoke quietly, "I would still prefer that you weren't here to watch."

Luffy got it. The other man's pride wouldn't let him be seen like that. "I see. I gotta get back to work anyway, so I'll leave you to your lunch. Ja na!"

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><p>After putting his things away in his assigned locker, Luffy rushed to the administrators office to see what his assignments for the day were. He only had one more day here before his community service sentence was up. Except for Zoro, he wasn't going to miss this place. The elderly residents here were friendly enough, but this really wasn't his kind of work. The only highlight to his days was talking to the green-haired man.<p>

He slowed down as he got to the administrator's office, knocking and entering.

"You're doing a great job, Luffy," Administrator Hina commended. "Makes me wish you were here as part of my regular employees. Anyway," she said as she handed him a sheet of paper. Luffy looked it over as she continued. "These residents will need to be fed their lunch later. It's not a hard job, but it can be time consuming. Then after that, I'll need you to-"

"Feed them?" Luffy asked, eyes wide. "As in hand feed them?"

"Yes. They are unable to feed themselves. Is there a problem?" She asked.

Luffy looked again to the sheet of paper. Typed right on it, among other names and numbers, was Room# 255: Roronoa. "N-No, just, Roronoa-"

"Oh, he looks a bit on the mean side, and he never smiles, but he's actually really sweet," she said. "His sister usually comes to feed him lunch and dinner, but she can't make it today for lunch. So you'll be the one feeding him."

"But-"

"Don't worry. His food was brought here this morning, and he won't give you any trouble," she reassured. "After they eat, you'll write down what they ate, and how much, and turn it back in here. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am," Luffy sighed. How could he tell Administrator Hina about how Zoro felt? He was embarrassed just having Luffy _watch_ him! What was he going to think of him being the one to _feed_ him? Luffy walked out of the office, paper in hand, shutting the door behind him.

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><p>Noon rolled around faster than Luffy would have liked, and before he knew it, Zoro was next on his list of residents to feed. Apparently, Kuina made him lunch everyday because he'd had a nice homemade lunch prepared again today.<p>

Luffy knocked quietly on Zoro's door, carefully entering when no one answered. The sight that met his eyes made him smile. Zoro was asleep in his chair; a fuzzy yellow blanket draped over him. His head was tilted slightly on the chair's headrest, and he looked to be having a pleasant dream. Just as Luffy was about to waken him, his ears picked up a low mumble from the green-haired man. Something that ended with a name sounding like "Sanji".

"Zoro?" Luffy asked quietly, as he gently shook the man in question.

Zoro awoke with a snort, shook his head a bit, and opened his good eye, peering sleepily up at Luffy. He wanted to wipe at it, but his arms were strapped down to the armrests, but even had they not been, he'd lost almost all the use of his hands.

Luffy swallowed nervously, then put on a smile that he really didn't feel. "Have a good sleep? I brought you lunch!"

"Shit," Zoro swore. Then he looked up at Luffy. "It's not you. I was... having a good dream."

"I saw," Luffy admitted. He set up Zoro's rolling table in front of him, setting down the covered plate upon it. "What were you dreaming about?"

"My life... before the accident," he said evasively, a wistful note in his voice. "You can leave that there," he said, indicating the bedside table.

"I can't just leave it here..." Luffy said, hoping Zoro would catch on without him coming out and saying it.

"One of the..." Zoro began, then he _did_ catch on. "Oh shit. Don't tell me you..."

"Yeah, I have feeding duty today, and you're on my list of residents I hafta feed." Luffy told him, showing Zoro the paper. "I know you're not comfortable with me doing it 'cause I'm not your sister, but I'll try my best to make you not feel uncomfortable, okay?"

A long silence again. Then Zoro sighed heavily. "Well... shit. I guess this was bound to happen at some point, so fine... Go ahead and feed me. It's not like I can do it myself anymore," he commented bitterly as he averted his eyes, brow furrowing.

Luffy opened up the covered plate, noting that the lunch looked really delicious. There was curry with a couple of scoops of white rice, a few pieces of pickled daikon, and some roasted vegetables. "Looks good," Luffy said to try to take Zoro's mind off of his predicament. It didn't work though. Looking up, Luffy noticed that Zoro's expression had stayed the same.

Luffy took a deep breath, letting it out again before nervously picking up the provided spoon. He scooped up a bit of the curry and rice, and brought it up to the green-haired man's lips. Zoro took his own exasperated breath before begrudgingly opening his mouth, accepting the spoon. "I wish I could still do this myself."

Luffy scooped up another spoonful, Zoro opening his mouth, and Luffy carefully sticking the spoon in, catching any stray drops that dripped down his chin.

"Kami, I hate being like this," Zoro muttered in between spoonfuls.

As he scooped up another spoonful, Luffy asked, "What happened to make you like this?"

"I was in a road accident," Zoro said simply, hoping that that would sate Luffy's curiousity enough so that he wouldn't ask more questions.

Luffy was quiet for a while, feeding the man he had begun to think of as his friend. Then, curiousity getting the best of him again, he asked, "Who's Sanji?"

Zoro nearly choked at the question, getting bits of food all over himself and Luffy. "H-How do you know that name?"

Luffy wiped the food off Zoro's chin and shirt with a napkin, then used another for his own clothes. "You were talking in your sleep. I couldn't make out the rest of it though, all I heard was "Sanji"... Who is he to you?"

Zoro sighed. There was really no point in hiding it now, he felt. May as well tell Luffy his story. He just hoped that Luffy wasn't the judgemental type. "Sanji was... Sanji was my... My boyfriend."

"Was?" Luffy asked. Zoro had had a boyfriend? That was really nice, he thought, having a boyfriend like Zoro. But then that brought up another question, "Did he break up with you because you were paralysed in the accident?" If this was the case, it really made Luffy angry. Zoro was a great guy, what right had this 'Sanji' had to break up with him?

Zoro was surprised that Luffy was angry over that, and not the fact that he had a boyfriend. It gave him the incentive to go on. "No, no, it's not like that at all. He's... He's the only reason I'm sitting here alive."

"Oh..." Luffy breathed.

"He was... killed... when our car was hit by that drunk driver..." Zoro's voice wavered as unwanted tears welled in his eyes. Unable to wipe them, they spilled down onto his cheeks. "Shit." He frowned. "Kami, I hate when this happens..."

Luffy reached up, carefully wiping his face with a tissue. Zoro was silent for a moment before continuing. "Although we were wearing our seatbelts, he threw his arm out just before impact to keep me pushed back, protecting me... And that's all I remember from it... until I awoke from what they told me was a three month long coma. I'd lost my left eye, and nearly lost my _own_ life in that accident... If it hadn't been for Sanji..." Fresh tears ran their ways down his cheeks again. Luffy wiped them.

Luffy's own eyes misted, and he had to blink to keep Zoro from seeing. "You really loved Sanji, didn't you?" Zoro nodded. "What was Sanji like?" Luffy asked, hoping to help Zoro remember good things.

Zoro's lips turned up into a small smile as he thought back, the first remnant of a smile Luffy had ever seen from Zoro. "He was a bit rough around the edges, and could be really abrasive at times, especially with other men... But... you've never known a better cook this side of the universe!" Despite the tears, Zoro's smile grew. "He could make anything you could ever dream up with those hands and the right tools. Seafood was his specialty, but he could also whip up a mean bacon mac 'n cheese too, with seemingly no effort! And whatever you wanted to know about your favorite food, he could tell you. He was like a walking encyclopedia of food, seasonings, food prep tools, everything!"

Luffu's eyes widened as Zoro happily described his boyfriend to him. No wonder he'd been so torn up over losing him. "Sounds like he could have been a chef at some point."

"Yeah," Zoro sighed, smile beginning to fade. "He could have been... He learned his craft from his adoptive father, who at one time, _had_ been a world class chef. Sanji had gotten a full scholarship at one of the most prestigious culinary schools in Europe... He was gonna go that autumn... We were gonna go to Europe together..."

"But then, _it_ happened..." Luffy finished for him. Zoro nodded slowly, head down, the tears beginning to form in his eyes again.

"That drunk driver..." Zoro paused. "I hate living like this. I'm sitting here, strapped in a wheelchair, my life on indefinite hold... completely dependent on others for my every need and want," Zoro told him, brow furrowing again. "I can't even feed myself anymore." Zoro shook his head. "They lock us up in this place. I have to get permission to even go outside. Even when Kuina wants to take me somewhere else, she has to sign me out and have me back at a certain time. Do you know how it is to have to live like that? That accident wasn't our fault! Yet Sanji's dead and I'm living like this! Oh, and did I mention that the drunk driver got out of this with only a few minor injuries?" Zoro jerked his right arm, trying and failing to free it from the straps. "That man took Sanji's life! I lost my eye! We lost everything!"

"Zoro..." Luffy whispered.

Just then, one of the CNAs burst in, scaring both Luffy and Zoro half to death. She saw Luffy sitting in front of Zoro, a half-finished plate in front of the green-haired resident. "What's going on in here? I heard shouting! He needs to be fed, not bothered!"

The CNAs liked Zoro, and were very protective of him. But he only tolerated them to a point. "Luffy isn't bothering me," he said calmly. "We were just talking and I got upset."

She could see that he'd been crying, but didn't say anything about that. Instead she asked, "Is there anything you need, Roronoa-san?"

Zoro held in a sigh. "No. Thank you though."

She turned to Luffy; an annoyed look on her face. "See that you finish feeding him. He needs to be put down for his nap soon."

And with that she left, shutting the door behind her. Had Zoro had full use of his fingers, and his arms not strapped down, he would have pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"They treat me like a baby," he sighed. "But then Kuina was the one who told them I liked having at least one nap everyday. Go figure."

Luffy smiled warmly as he resumed feeding Zoro. "My brother, he had a mean case of narcolepsy. Would sometimes fall asleep right in his food!"

Zoro then did something he hadn't done in a long while. He laughed. Laughed to the point that he could barely catch his breath. A hearty laugh full of mirth.

Luffy noticed that Zoro's whole face and demeanor changed when he laughed. He liked the change. It meant that Zoro was happy. "Yeah, Ace was great." Luffy fondly remembered. "He would have liked you. Being about your age now and all."

"I think Sanji would have liked you too. Well, once he warmed up to you like I did," Zoro said rolling his head on his headrest. "Sanji and I were the same age, though he was a few months older. Used to call me 'marimo'. That was ridiculous though. I don't look like a fuzzy sea plant."

Now that Zoro had mentioned it, Luffy could see the resemblence. But he didn't tell Zoro that. The rest of the meal was spent in comfortable silence.

"Hey," Zoro said after Luffy had finished feeding him and cleaning his face. "After my nap, maybe you could take me outside for a while? I'm bored of this place."

"Yeah, let's do that!" Luffy exclaimed, fist in the air. "I don't like this place either. I know you don't 'cause you hafta live here."

"If only you knew the depth of my hatred for this place," Zoro remarked, closing his eye and leaning his head back on the headrest. "If I have to live like this, I'd rather be at home with Kuina. Until my accident, I thought nursing homes were for old people."

"Maybe one day you can get out of here," Luffy told him.

"It's doubtful," Zoro sighed. "I want to walk and become independent again, but they don't have the means to give me the extensive rehabilitation I'd need to do it." Zoro yawned, getting sleepy again, so used to getting his after lunch nap. "I want to do some things for myself sometime, like try to eat by myself, but they keep my arms strapped down. I guess they think I'll accidentally hurt myself if they're unstrapped."

Luffy looked down at Zoro's arms, then he unstrapped them from their armrests, first the right, then the left. Zoro looked down in surprise as Luffy unstrapped him.

A happy grin lit up the older man's face as he lifted his arms, peering at his hands. "Oh, thank you so much! I feel a little freer now."

"How come you can move your arms if you're a quadriplegic?" Luffy asked curiously.

"What's mobile when you're a quadriplegic depends on where your spinal cord was injured," Zoro explained. "I can move my arms, but have very little use of my hands, other than clumsily operating the wheelchair."

Luffy grasped one of Zoro's hands. "Your hands look like they used to be strong."

"They were. I used to be really into kendo and martial arts before the accident."

Just then, a knock sounded on the door, and then four different CNAs entered. One of them glared angrily at Luffy, while the other three readied Zoro for his nap. "You're still here? Stop bothering Roronoa-san and get back to work!"

"He's not bothering me. I enjoy his company," Zoro told her as politely as he could while holding in his frustration. "Let him stay as long as he likes."

"But, Roronoa-san, Administrator Hina-"

"Please, just tell her what I said," Zoro pleaded, knowing that it was because they liked him so much, that they would do as he asked. "Okay?"

"Okay," she said as they situated him in his bed on his side, then covered him with his fuzzy yellow blanket. They slipped an oxygen mask over his face, adjusted his pillow, and pulled up the railings on his bed.

"Have a nice nap, Roronoa-san!" She said before she and the other CNAs filed out of the room, quietly closing the door.

"Shit," Zoro said after a moment. "They forgot to turn on my radio again. Get it for me, will you Luffy?"

Luffy got up from where he'd been sitting and switched on the radio for Zoro. An old tune he'd recognized from music his father listened to quietly drifted from the speakers. "American Classic Rock?" Luffy asked amused. "You don't strike me as being an American Classic Rock fan."

"I know. A 21 years old Japanese guy listening to American Classic Rock. What are the odds, right?" Zoro smiled through the mask.

"Well actually, you seem more of a, I dunno, a... well... a rock fan, but more along the lines of metal or alternative, to me."

"I like that too, but more the classics than today's," Zoro explained as he slid his curled hand onto his pillow. Just then, a song with a haunting melody floated out of the speaker. "Okay, I don't like this song. Turn it quick, that tune gives me the creeps."

Luffy touched the dial button, watching the digits go up, then stop at the next station. "Is this good?" He asked as a cheerful Japanese dance tune filled the air around them.

"Not really," Zoro yawned, closing his eye. "But it's better than that other song. You can turn it back in a few minutes."

"What _was_ that other song anyway?"

"Hotel California." Zoro murmured as he slipped into slumber, his head beginning to fill with dreams.


	3. Conversations

**I know there weren't many, but I just wanted to thank those who reviewed! HAREOO3, cocopuff123, and Kyriea Blackheart! Plus, I'd like to thank everyone else who checked out this fic ^_^**

**I forgot the disclaimer on the last two chapters! I do not own One Piece. But I do love it so!**

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><p>"It feels good to get outside!" Zoro said, breathing deeply of the cool, crisp, not-quite-spring air. "They don't take me outdoors very often."<p>

They were in the spacious courtyard of the nursing home. It was a nice, partly sunny day with a light smattering of clouds. Other residents and CNAs were sprinkled about the place in different areas.

"Why not?" Luffy asked, walking as Zoro's chair buzzed along beside him. There was a slight flush on Zoro's face, and that concerned him a little.

"They have thirty-something other residents here to tend to," the green-haired man explained. "They can't just cater to me."

"How often do they take you outside?"

"The last time I was taken outside, was..." Zoro did the math in his head. "A couple days before you started working here."

"Two weeks ago?" Luffy blurted out before he remembered to speak at a more normal level. "That's too long."

"There are bedridden people here who call for a CNA because they've had an accident, and it sometimes takes the CNA as much as twenty minutes or more to come change them." Zoro explained as he stopped the chair under a shade tree, watching a squirrel climb down, going about it's business as if they weren't there. "There's a shortage of workers here. Being changed after an accident is a need, going outside is a want. I don't want to bother them anymore than I already do."

"It's not really bothering us. Not me anyway. It's our job to see to your needs," Luffy admonished, sitting on a nearby bench.

Zoro sighed, "I know, but I don't really think that they are paid enough to really care. They seem to like me enough, but it's probably more out of pity for what happened to me than anything else."

"Yeah, that accident was so bad, it was actually in the news," Luffy told him. "I think it was yours anyway."

"It was? Explains why everyone seems to know what happened to me," Zoro said knowingly, twisting his lips a bit. "Then again, Kuina may have had to tell the administrator, and then Administrator Hina told everyone else."

"Also, I'm not being paid to do this. It's community service," Luffy admitted. "You're the only reason I don't absolutely hate coming here to work. I hate that I only have one more day to talk to you."

"Give Kuina your number," Zoro said. "That way, I can ask her to call you sometime. Or I can give you my number and you can call me. I won't be able to answer the phone if she's not there though, but still."

"That accident really messed you up bad, didn't it?" Luffy said, sympathy lacing his voice.

Zoro nodded once. "My body and my life. My heart longs to spar with Kuina again in one more kendo match... But, I can't even hold a sword anymore. She understands, but I still feel like I've let her down."

"Why? Like you said earlier, the accident wasn't your fault. There was nothing you could do."

"I know. It's just that kendo meant a lot to me... to us. It was my life. Now my life has been shattered into so many pieces, I couldn't even attempt to put it back together." Tears began to prick his eyes. He wiped at them as best he could with his useless hands. "Shit... Let's just talk about something else, okay?"

"I'm sorry," Luffy murmured as he watched a bird land near them in expectation of food. He gave it a pellet he'd gotten from a coin machine in the courtyard. "Have you talked to Kuina about how you feel about living here?"

"No, I haven't," Zoro admitted, sighing. "And I'm not gonna. She has enough to worry about without trying to change me into a different home."

"No, I mean, why can't she make arrangements for you to live at home?"

"She works a full time job, plus she doesn't have the skills to take care of... someone like me. Not to mention that I've heard that caring for people drains you emotionally and physically. I didn't fight going into the home because I didn't want to be a burden on my sister."

"There are places you can go during the day, where you can do activities and stuff, then when she gets off work, she can pick you up," Luffy said reasonably. "Or they can bring you home. Whatever's convenient. It's like a daycare, but for adults."

"I didn't know about places like that," Zoro said, thinking. "Sounds like it would be better than this place. And I'd get to go home everyday. Maybe I _should_ talk to Kuina about it."

"You should. I think you would be happier, and you deserve to be happy."

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><p>"Come on, Little Brother. I know you're not feeling well," Kuina gently cooed, moving the table with Zoro's half-finished dinner away from his chair. "Let's get you into some pajamas so we can get you into bed"<p>

The backs of Zoro's nasal canal and throat were feeling itchy, he was starting to feel a little achy, and according to Kuina, he had a low-grade fever.

Kuina was taking off Zoro's shirt just as Luffy knocked and peeked in. As he stepped in, he stared wide eyed at the long, diagonal scar etched deeply into Zoro's chest. There were a few other scars, but that one was the worst one.

"Hi Luffy," the older girl greeted as she removed Zoro's pants and socks. "Zoro's not feeling well, so I'm putting him to bed for the evening."

Luffy remembered seeing the flush on Zoro's face earlier while they were outdoors, but he hadn't thought much else of it until now.

Kuina pulled a long sleeved blue pajama shirt over Zoro's head, helping him thread his arms through the sleeves. Then she and the two CNAs who were with them, lifted him into bed, where Kuina put him on a pair of pajama pants.

She picked up a bottle of liquid cold medication, and a medicine measuring cup, filling it to the fill line before bringing it to Zoro's lips. Zoro turned his head, weakly trying to push away her hand. "...No..."

"I know you don't like taking medicine," Kuina said, attempting to administer the meds again. "But it'll help you sleep, and make you feel better in the morning."

"...No, don't need any..."

She lay a hand on his forehead, "Your fever is getting worse. You have to take your medicine."

Luffy walked over, laying his hand on Zoro's warmer-than-usual shoulder. "Come on, Zoro. Do it for me? I don't want you to be sick. I wanna see you get better."

Zoro seemed to think it over for a bit. He considered Luffy his friend. And he didn't want to disappoint him. So after a bit more thought, he sighed, "...Okay..."

Kuina put the cup to his lips again, and he quickly swallowed the contents. The CNAs then helped her wrap Zoro into his blanket, in a snug roll. She covered him with another blanket, adjusted his pillow, put on his oxygen mask, and turned on his radio to a station that played soft, soothing music. She then ushered the CNAs out of the room, save for Luffy.

"Have a good sleep, Little Brother. I love you," Kuina whispered, kissing him on his forehead, just before she pulled up the railings on his bed.

Zoro whispered, "Love you too, Kuina." as his eye drifted closed.

Kuina waited until Zoro was asleep before whispering to Luffy, "I need to talk to you."

Kuina followed Luffy out into the hall, closing the door to Zoro's room. "Want to get a snack from the cafeteria?"

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><p>"You're special to Zoro. You know that, right?" Kuina said as she sipped a canned coffee she'd gotten from a vending machine.<p>

Luffy looked puzzled, as he chewed on a beef jerky. "What do you mean?"

"He doesn't let just anyone call him by his given name," she said. "When he does, it means he's taken a liking to you."

"He told me to call him Zoro after I helped him get his chair unstuck," Luffy told her about that day.

"You must've really impressed him that day," Kuina said admiringly. "So much so, that it brought him out of the shell he'd been in since awakening to find out that Sanji was dead, and that he was paralysed." She paused before continuing. "I see you also got him to open up finally, about Sanji."

"Yeah, he told me about Sanji, what Sanji meant to him, and how he'd died," Luffy related. "But if Sanji had his arm across Zoro's chest when the other car hit, how did Zoro get that kind of scar?"

"Zoro doesn't know this, because we've never told him." Kuina took a deep breath, letting it out again before continuing. "But Sanji's hand was severed near the wrist, trying to Save Zoro's life."

"Why don't you want to tell him?" Luffy asked confused.

"Because Zoro knew how much Sanji's hands meant to him," Kuina replied. "And on top of his death, if Zoro knew how Sanji had sacrificed one of his prized hands to save him..."

"It would break his heart," Luffy finished for her.

Kuina nodded. "That was probably about the only thing that saved Zoro's life, because the car was totalled and they were trapped inside. It took them nearly an hour to free my brother from the twisted wreckage that was their car. We're not sure, but we think Sanji died on impact, or shortly after."

"We?"

"Our Dad and I," Kuina clarified. "There were no signs of life from Sanji when the police and paramedics arrived."

"Wow..."

"When they finally pulled Zoro out, unconscious but alive, we were so relieved," Kuina sighed, smiling a little. Then the smile faded as she went on, "But then there was the wait for him to wake up, which stretched into three long, harrowing months... It was in the middle of the night when Zoro finally woke up, calling desperately for Sanji. It hurt us to tell him what had happened, but we didn't have the heart to lie to him either."

"Even now, Zoro feels bad about being unable to attend Sanji's funeral. About being unable to say goodbye to Sanji one last time. I try to tell him it couldn't be helped, but he still continues to feel that way. While Zoro's not the suicidal type, until he met you, all the life had gone out of him."

"I have to say, I'm really glad you came along when you did. Zoro had been in that funk ever since it sunk in that Sanji had been killed, and he'd never see him again. That was about four months ago. He really just about lost it when Sanji's birthday rolled around last week. On that day, we took him to Sanji's grave. Although Sanji wasn't alive to hear it, Zoro poured his heart out to him, saying all the things that he'd never gotten to say at his funeral."

Luffy remembered that day. He'd arrived that morning to find Zoro gone. He'd stayed gone nearly the whole day, and when he'd gotten back, his eyes were puffy and red, and he'd been very quiet (even by his own standards) and subdued. Luffy had wondered what had happened to him.

Kuina sat in quiet contemplation for a long while. When she spoke again, it was with firm resolve. "I'm going to speak to Administrator Hina about taking you on as a regular employee while Zoro resides here. He needs someone he can talk and relate to. Someone he can be happy with again."

"Zoro's told me that he hates this place," Luffy said, remembering what had been talked about earlier. "He wants to get out, but he said he doesn't want to be a burden on you."

"He'd never be a burden on me," Kuina stated truthfully. "It's just that, since I work, he wouldn't be getting the best care I could give him. Here, he's well cared for. So he's better off staying here."

"A 21 year old really shouldn't have to spend his life in a nursing home," Luffy told her gently. "I understand what happened to him, and that it can't be changed, but I really don't think keeping him in a nursing home he hates is the answer."

"Well, what do you feel I should do then," Kuina asked, slightly miffed that her decision to keep Zoro in the home was being challenged, although she knew Luffy was being as diplomatic as possible.

"I told Zoro about these places where he can go during the day, then either you could pick him up when you got off work, or they could drop him off. He gets the care he needs during the day and he gets to go home in the evening. It's a win-win. Don't you think?"

"I've heard about places like that, and it sounds good and all, but I don't think that those places are equipped to care for a quadriplegic," she replied, taking a sip of coffee. "Plus, I'd need to get someone who could help me with him at home. Zoro is totally dependent on others."

"I could do it," Luffy said. "He's my friend."

"There would be a lot of heavy lifting involved, and he's unable to sit up on his own. He'd need to be lifted into and out of his wheelchair. He needs to be fed and clothed, among other things." She ticked each thing off on her fingers. "I know he's your friend, but do you really have the kind of dedication it takes to care for someone who's essentially like a newborn baby, and who will probably be that way for the rest of his life?"

Luffy didn't hesitate. He'd already made up his mind. "Yes!" he resolved, nodding firmly.

"I still don't know," Kuina said, still hesitating. "I still think he'd be better off staying here. At least until I can look into those adult care centers we were talking about."

"But Zoro-"

"He's been here for a few months. A little more time won't hurt him," Kuina told Luffy as she sipped the last of her coffee. "Look. I know how you feel about this, but for now, this, where he is now, is for the best, okay?"

Luffy sort of agreed, but he didn't like it. He felt, as he had earlier, that Zoro should be somewhere he'd be happy, not living in a nursing home with no idea when he'd be getting out.

"Anyway, like I said in the beginning, you're important to my little brother, and he's important to me. He's happier with you around, so I want you to be one of his main caregivers."

"But-"

"I'll speak with Administrator Hina in the morning, when I bring Zoro's breakfast and lunch," Kuina went on. "I know you don't really like it here either. Zoro told me that. But, please, just do this for me. Do it for Zoro."

Luffy was about to protest, tell her that he really didn't want to continue working here. But then, he really liked Zoro, and really didn't want him to withdraw again, so he decided that maybe what Kuina wanted was for the best for now. "Alright."

* * *

><p>"His fever has gone down some," Kuina said in a quiet voice, as she lay her hand lightly onto Zoro's damp forehead. "But he's not quite in the clear." She stroked his flushed cheek, before removing her hand. "He'll need to be fed some more chicken noodle soup or rice porridge when he wakes up." She came back over, sitting next to Luffy.<p>

"He's really good at hiding how he's feeling," Luffy remarked. "I noticed his face earlier, but I didn't know he was sick until you'd said something about it later."

"He _is_ good at hiding it," Kuina agreed. "He was the kind of kid who'd scrape his knee, get up, and keep right on playing, even though it must have really hurt."

"What kind of kid was he?" Luffy asked.

"He was more serious minded than most other kids. And when he learned kendo, he was totally dedicated to his craft. He would've been a master, but," She dropped her voice to a whisper, "He could never beat me. I had looked forward to the day when he'd finally attain his goal of beating me and becoming a kendo master, but well, you know."

They were quiet for a long while, each absorbed in his or her own thoughts, while Zoro went on sleeping peacefully. Then Luffy thought of something. Something he'd been wondering about. He spoke quietly, turning to Kuina. "Zoro has such pretty green hair. I've never seen anything like it. Which side of the family does he get it from?"

Kuina's answer surprised him.

"Actually, while I consider him my brother, we're... not really... blood related. He was orphaned as a small child, and we adopted him."

"Wow..." Luffy breathed, as he tugged on a stray string on his shirt. "That's like me 'n' Ace. He was my brother. We weren't blood related either, but a better big brother you'd never find."

"That's how I feel about Zoro." Kuina smiled warmly. "He seems to have a gruff exterior, but inside he's sugary sweet. Just don't tell him I said that. He'd be mortified!" She chuckled quietly.

"I won't," Luffy promised, giving Kuina a warm smile back. He stood up. "It's almost time for me to check out. I'll be here a little earlier tomorrow though, to check up on Zoro."

"Thanks," Kuina said. "I'm gonna stay for a while longer, to see if Zoro needs anything."

"Alright, see you in the morning." He walked over to Zoro's bed, leaned down and whispered, "Have a good night's sleep, Zoro."


	4. Memories Of Sanji

**Thank you to the reviewers: camocase09, guest reviewer, and I-heartDire!**

**-/-**

**A few things about this chapter:**

**1. AFAIK, in the series, Kuina's last name is never mentioned, so I gave her Zoro's last name **

**2. Since Zoro is intelligent, I figured he'd like Rush (the rock band), since their songs are well written and make you think**

**3. Zoro strikes me as someone who'd listen to older music, as I'd touched on in Chapter 2**

**4. Credit goes to **_**pingo1387**_** for at least trying to help me with the video part. I know the majority of it is horribly glossed over, but I haven't done a home video in a long time, and don't use my laptop camera to make vids either. At least I haven't yet**

**5. As far as my description of the van goes, I think this is how the ones that transport power wheelchairs are made**

* * *

><p>After Luffy put his things away in his locker, he reluctantly reported to Administrator Hina's office for his day's assignments. He wondered whether or not Kuina was here, and if so, had she already talked to Hina?<p>

He knocked quietly, even though the door was open.

"Luffy, come in and close the door," Administrator Hina asked of him. Luffy did as he was told. "Please sit down. I need to talk to you." He nervously sat down.

She got straight to the point. "Roronoa Kuina-san has talked to me about extending your employment here at Hanamizuki Nursing Home, mainly to help care for her brother Roronoa Zoro in her absence." Administrator Hine leaned over her desk, lacing her fingers. "As I'm sure you've noticed, Zoro is completely dependent on others to help him in day-to-day things. He'll need to be fed breakfast everyday, along with lunch if Kuina cannot make it here. You'll wake him in the mornings, and help get him dressed. Here," she said, going into her desk and pulling out a sheet of paper, handing it to him. "That is the list of things he needs done, and when they'll need to be done."

It wasn't until Luffy looked the list over, that he finally realized just how dependent a quadriplegic was for _everything_. There was absolutely nothing Zoro could do for himself. This made Luffy feel bad for the green-haired man, and angry at the drunk driver who was the cause of Zoro having to live his life as a quadriplegic.

"Kuina wanted to make sure you understood exactly what you needed to do," Hina told him. "She wants to make sure you'll be able to do what will be required of you, should you accept this job."

"I accept," Luffy said without missing a beat. "Zoro's my friend. I'll do whatever I need to do for him."

"That's good," Administrator Hina said as she leaned back in her chair again. "To tell the truth, I knew you two would get along once you got to know each other. Anyway, Zoro isn't feeling well today, so he'll need for you to take extra special care of him. It shouldn't be too hard. Just make sure he gets his medicine, some food into him, plenty of fluids, and plenty of rest."

* * *

><p>Luffy knocked quietly on Zoro's door, hearing Kuina beckon him in. Zoro's bed was adjusted so that he was sitting upright. He was covered up with his blanket to his chest, and was wearing an oversized, off-white, comfortable-looking hoodie with the hood pulled up over his head. There was a cloth barbeque bib fastened around his neck and there were pillows tucked around him. Kuina sat next to the bed with what looked to be a small bowl of rice porridge in one hand and a spoon in the other, trying to coax the young man to eat.<p>

"Don't want anymore, Kuina..." Zoro turned his head.

"You've barely had three bites," Kuina gently but sternly reminded him. "You have to eat more. Hi Luffy," she said as he walked over to the green-haired man's bed.

"Hi Kuina," he said. Then, "Zoro!~" He hugged the green-haired man, despite the fact that he could catch his cold.

Zoro smiled weakly, "Hey."

"You feeling any better than you were yesterday?" Luffy asked.

Zoro had been about to say, 'Not really', but he didn't want to make Luffy worry, so he said, "A little."

"That's good!" Luffy exclaimed as he squeezed Zoro again.

Kuina smiled at the two guys. "Tell you what. Let me finish feeding him, then you can hug him all you want, okay?"

Luffy nodded as he backed away from Zoro. "Okay!"

She turned back to Zoro. "I know you want to lie back down. Let's finish this, and you can lie down and I'll tuck you in, okay?" Kuina cajoled as she brought the spoon to Zoro's mouth again.

Zoro didn't know _what_ she meant by 'let's', since _he_ was the one being forced to eat something he could barely stomach.

"Come on, Zoro," Kuina prodded in her gentle manner. "I know you don't like the taste of it, but it's hot, it'll make you feel better."

Just then, Luffy had an idea. He raised his hands and cheered, "Come on, Zoro, you can do it!"

Despite Zoro's best efforts, a smile formed on his face. "Okay, okay, I'll eat."

"Yay!"

Kuina chuckled as she placed the spoon into Zoro's open mouth. "Cheer him on Luffy!"

Between Luffy and Kuina, they got Zoro fed, his face cleaned, and his medicine taken. Kuina was about to adjust his bed so that he could lie down again, but he told her that he wanted to stay sitting up for a while, to talk to Luffy.

"I need to go to work now, Zoro," she said pulling up his railing, then gathering her things. "I'll be back later."

Zoro nodded, as she gave him a goodbye kiss on his forehead. "See you at lunch time, love you!" she said.

"Love you too," he said as he watched her leave. When the door was closed, he turned to Luffy. "So what do you want to do now? I've got a TV and DVD player, and the radio and some CDs, that's about it. Sorry there's not much to do."

"Let's be pirates then!" Luffy exclaimed happily throwing his fists in the air.

Zoro cocked his head and wrinkled his nose. "Pirates? How old are you?"

"Old enough to be a pirate!" Luffy said without skipping a beat.

Zoro chuckled, "Aren't pirates bad guys though? I'd rather be a sword-weilding bounty hunter."

"Pirates are adventurers!" Luffy explained happily. "They're free and have lots of fun adventures on the open seas! Besides, you can be my sword-wielding first mate!"

"Well, when you put it like that, being a pirate does sound like fun," Zoro began. "But where's our pirate ship?" He asked, not realizing he was starting to get into Luffy's imagination. An explosive sneeze erupted just then, and his nose began to run. He tried to sniff it back up.

Luffy grabbed a couple of tissues and wiped Zoro's nose, allowing him to blow it. "You're sitting in it," Luffy told him as if it should be obvious. He went to toss the tissues and wash his hands.

"My bed? My bed can't be a pirate ship!" Zoro objected.

"Sure it can!"

"It's a bed!" Zoro pointed out. "Besides, how am I gonna have an adventure when I can't even get out of the ship?"

"Hmm..." Luffy said thinking. "We could have adventures on the ship!" He said as he moved a chair until it was against the side of Zoro's bed.

"That'll work," Zoro muttered, when he'd thought about it. The medication induced drowsiness hit him then, and he yawned deeply.

"That medicine got you sleepy?" Luffy asked, surprised.

Zoro nodded, yawning again.

Luffy grabbed the bed control. "You wanna lie down?"

Zoro shook his head. He knew how badly Luffy wanted to play pirates with him. "Nah, s'kay... Can still play with you..."

"But if you're sleepy..." Luffy said concerned as Zoro's eye drifted closed, then he shook his head to try to wake himself back up again. He fought to stay awake for a good while, but ultimately lost the battle. Luffy slowly let down the head of the bed until Zoro was lying down on his back. He rolled over the green-haired man until he was on his side, then Luffy covered him up to his neck with his yellow blanket. He slipped the oxygen mask over Zoro's face, then turned on his radio, finding it on the same station it was turned to the night before.

Luffy peered into a somewhat sizable bin of CDs that was situated on the table behind the player. He flipped through them, being surprised at some of the bands and artists he'd found. He found a lot of American Classic Rock bands, but also bands like Rush, Aerosmith, and U2 who were still making music today. He must really like Rush, Luffy mused, because their CDs outnumbered the Aerosmith and U2 CDs combined. There was a lot of 80's pop music sprinkled in as well, American, British, and... Japanese. This really surprised Luffy. He didn't think Zoro listened to _any_ Japanese music despite being Japanese himself.

He flipped through a few more until he came to what looked like a homemade CD. The booklet inside had a glued on photo of a nice loooking blond man whose left eye was hidden by the fringe of his long bangs. His visible eyebrow curled into a spiral at the outer end. There were little flowers drawn in marker surrounding the photo, and at the top, the words 'For Zoro From Sanji. I (Heart) U' were written in metalic gold glitter. The heart was done in red glitter. There was also a tiny heart drawn on the i in Sanji's name. The whole jewel case smelled faintly of cigarette smoke, and something else Luffy couldn't put his finger on.

So this must be Sanji, Luffy thought, as he gazed at the photo. He was as nice looking as Zoro, though Zoro looked to be more of the bodybuilding, martial arts type, and Sanji more of the... well... _not_ bodybuilding, martial arts type.

Luffy smiled. So this was the man who'd stolen Zoro's heart, and made him so happy while he'd been alive. The chef who could make anything you could ever dream up, as Zoro had told him. The man who'd had so much potential.

So much potential.

Wasted.

Gone down the drain.

All because some dickhead loser decided to go on some kind of drinking binge that day, and get in the car, ruining the lives of two wonderful young people.

Luffy shook his head, realizing he was still holding the CD. He flipped it over to the back. More marker drawn flowers, and a few hearts interspersed. And in the middle of it all, a neatly handwritten love song list that consisted of about 16 songs with "Love", or "Together", or "Forever" somewhere in their titles. Sanji had apparently intended for him and Zoro to be together forever. Hell, that was even one of the song titles, "Together Forever".

He hoped that that drunk driver was, right now, a wallowing heap of misery because of what he'd done.

Luffy wanted to look inside the CD case, but didn't want to intrude anymore on what was obviously something very important, and very private of Zoro's. If Zoro wanted him to know more about it, he'd tell him. He slowly, _carefully_ slipped the CD back into it's slot and continued to flip through the others.

He came upon another homemade CD, but this one was different. The booklet had green grass colored in crayon on the cover along with a dark blue sky, a yellow moon, and lots of stars. An up-close photo of Zoro as a child, taken while he was in a futon asleep, was pasted into the middle of the picture. The title read simply, 'Zoro' in a child's hand writing. He smiled as he flipped to the back and read the titles of about twelve children's bedtime songs and lullabyes written in a more adult handwriting. Apparently, Kuina and her father had put this together for Zoro when he was a child.

This time he did open the jewel case and gently took the CD off it's grip. It was decorated with a label full of stars and a moon like the cover was. After a bit of thought, he opened the player, and placed the CD in. Flipping the radio to CD mode, he waited for the total track count and CD time to come up, then he pressed play.

A wonderful, soothing melody quietly filled the air in the room, and Zoro's body seemed to further relax. Sleeping in his hoodie, he looked innocent and almost as childlike as he had in the picture on the CD booklet.

Luffy gazed at Zoro's nearly perfect skin. Except for the vertical scar that sliced through the area where his eye had been, there were no blemishes on his face. Even the scar was smooth and flat, no stitch marks or jagged edges. The scar under Luffy's own eye, by comparison, had stitch marks.

Luffy stroked Zoro's cheek, then slipped his hand under his hood, being surprised at the softness of Zoro's hair. It was like a sheet of satin. And that pretty light-green color went all the way down to the root which suggested that it was natural and not colored.

Luffy's heart ached for Zoro. He wished Zoro wanted _him_ as a boyfriend, but the green-haired man was still recovering from the loss of Sanji to be able to love another man this quickly. Besides, Luffy didn't really feel _worthy_ of someone as great as Zoro. He sighed as he removed his hand.

Luffy's eyes drifted toward the DVDs in the cabinet they were housed in. He went over and opened up the glass doors, peering inside. Most of the DVDs were either movies or box sets of retro TV shows, some Japanese, some American.

What caught his attention though, were the home videos. There were quite a few in the selection, but the one that stood out to him was one labeled simply, 'Sanji'. He slid it out of the cabinet, gazing at the cover. Many smiling photos of the blond man were carefully glued onto the case in a neat collage.

Whether to open the DVD and play it or not warred inside Luffy's mind. Part of him didn't want to intrude on something that might be private of Zoro's, but then, Luffy wanted to hear Sanji's voice; see what Sanji was like, even if only for a few minutes. Eventually, the part of him that wanted to know what Sanji was like, won out. He opened the case, carefully pulling out the DVD.

Turning on the tv, he opened the player's drawer and inserted the DVD. When the drawer retracted the disc, he waited until it read the disc, then he pressed play.

"Is this thing on?" Luffy heard a voice sound up close in the darkness, then the screen brightened as none other than Sanji himself appeared on the screen.

He was wearing a pair of pressed dark blue jeans and a cream-colored fooler shirt with long cherry red sleeves. There was a picture of a takoyaki on the front of it.

"Um... What should I do?" The blond asked someone off-camera.

"I dunno, sing or dance? _Something_," The voice, which Luffy recognized as Zoro's, directed.

"If I'm gonna sing, you gotta join me, Marimo!" Sanji said, taking a cigarette out of his back pocket and lighting it.

"No way!"

"Then I'm not doing it." The blond huffed, as he blew out a stream of smoke.

"Okay, okay." The camera steadied as it was apparently mounted onto a tripod, then, to Luffy's shock, a much healthier-looking, two eyed Zoro appeared from behind the camera. His hair was slightly shorter and spikier than it was now, and he sported a plain white tank top under a short sleeved blue zip-up hoodie with lighter blue swirly patterns. He strode over to where Sanji was standing. "Fine, what song do you want to do?"

"I'll let you pick," Sanji said, taking aanother puff.

Luffy watched as Zoro went over to a nearby player, placing a CD in and pressing play. A familiar Queen tune filtered out of the speakers.

"Don't Stop Me Now, by Queen?" Sanji inquired. "You really like the Classics, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do," Zoro answered, smirking in Sanji's face. "You got a problem with that?"

"No," Sanji pulled Zoro in for a tender, but heated kiss, tangling fingers in Zoro's hair. After a moment, he pulled away again, gazing at Zoro hungrily. "Not a damn one."

Zoro licked his lips; his eyelids opening slowly. He'd said something then that Luffy missed because he was too busy thinking of how much _he'd_ like to capture Zoro's lips like that.

The rest of the video consisted mostly of the two guys doing random music videos together and parkour (which Zoro had been better at than Sanji). There had even been a birthday party filmed which, going by the date in the video, looked to be the last one Sanji had celebrated before his untimely death.

Watching the video gave Luffy a good idea of of Sanji's personality. In some ways, he was a lot like Zoro, but in lots of other ways, he couldn't have been more different. He realized that the insults they sometimes hurled at each other were more terms of endearment rather than actual insults meant to hurt.

Eventually, he came to a part where only Sanji was onscreen. Luffy turned it up.

"Hey Marimo," the blond began. "I know we had our differences in the beginning, but... I'm really happy that I got to know you. I don't mean to sound sappy, but you're the best thing to ever happen to my life... so don't you ever forget how much I love you, Shithead." The last part had been said with obvious affection for Zoro.

Just then, Luffy heard, "I love you too, Sanji... Sanji?" It was Zoro calling out to Sanji from his bed. Luffy stopped the DVD, going over to Zoro, just in time to see his friend open a drowsy, but expectant eye.

In his foggy, cold medication-induced haze, Zoro stared at Luffy, drowsily blinking in confusion for a moment, as if only just realizing where he was. Once his mind cleared and he woke up more, the realization that he was in the nursing home and that Sanji was no longer alive, hadn't been alive for months... hit him hard.

A pain lanced through Luffy's heart as Zoro tried and failed to hold back an anguished sob. "I... I really thought he was here with me..."

"I'm sorry Zoro," Luffy apologized sincerely. "I was watching one of your home movies... I wanted to see what Sanji was like... I didn't mean to make you cry, I'm sorry!" He grabbed some tissues to wipe Zoro's face.

Zoro had been dreaming that Sanji was in the hospital, injured, but alive. He'd dreamt that he'd been in Sanji's room, and that they had been talking. To wake up to this cruel reality was nothing short of heartbreaking.

Luffy gently wiped the tears from Zoro's face, removing his oxygen mask and allowing him to blow his nose. He then got up to wet a washcloth with warm water. He brought it back over to his friend. "I'm really sorry Zoro," Luffy said as he lovingly swabbed Zoro's face.

"'S'okay..." Zoro murmured. "You didn't know..."

"Yeah, but I shouldn't have looked at the DVD without your permission, at least," Luffy said as he finished cleaning Zoro's face. He folded the cloth neatly and placed it on a nearby table.

Zoro took another deep, shaky breath. "It's alright. I was the one who invited you to watch DVDs before I fell asleep."

"I could have watched a movie or something though," Luffy insisted. "Not gone through your personal stuff."

"How were you supposed to know what not to watch?" Zoro inquired looking up at Luffy. "Don't worry about it." He offered a drowsy smile. "You still want to play priates?"

"Actually, if you don't mind, I'd like to know a little more about Sanji," Luffy surprised Zoro by asking. "He said that you and he had had your differences in the beginning."

Zoro sighed. Then, "Here, help me sit up."

Luffy did as he was told, rolling Zoro onto his back. Then he grabbed the control and pressed the button on it to elevate Zoro's head. He pulled and tucked the blanket around Zoro so that he was covered up to his chest again, but his arms were free.

Zoro paused, before beginning. "Sanji and I _didn't_ hit it off when we first met. In fact, we... well, we didn't hate each other, but there was definitely a tension between us. Kuina would tell you that I was more the aloof, quiet and brooding type, whereas he was more engaging and outgoing."

"Sanji loved the ladies. He was a real ladies man. I liked _him_, and thought he was really cute but incredibly annoying, swooning for the ladies and going on. Little did I know that he liked me back. Not that he showed it for the longest time though."

"At first our friendship was tentative at best, then we grew to become best friends. It was at that point that he reluctantly told me that while he did like women, he wasn't into them sexually, which surprised me. After a little more prodding, I found out that not only was he into men, he liked my type in particular. Still, while he didn't want to ruin our friendship, he wanted there to be no pretenses between us either."

"This made me _so_ happy! The guy I liked, liked me back! I surprised him by telling him how I felt about him. It wasn't long after that that we became a couple."

"At first, Sanji's Dad was a bit uncomfortable with the idea of his son dating another boy. But he warmed up to me quickly enough. Then I found out that it wasn't him dating another boy he'd had problems with, it was just that he just didn't want Sanji to get hurt. But I loved Sanji! And he loved me. There was no way I would have hurt him."

"Wow..." Luffy marvelled, leaing on the railings of Zoro's bed. "I think I would have liked to meet Sanji!"

"Well, he was one of those people who was aggressive when you first met him, especially if you were another guy," Zoro told him. "Then when he got to know you, and you him, that's when you saw much more to him than just the aggressive side. I thought then, as I do now, that the aggression was a front to protect himself."

"What about the ladies man thing?" Luffy asked.

"I think he did genuinely love the ladies, but like I said, he wasn't interested sexually."

"So how old were you two when you met each other?" Luffy asked, handging onto Zoro's every word.

"He was sixteen, I was fifteen, gonna be sixteen that November."

"You guys were barely out of middle school!" Luffy exclaimed wide-eyed.

"Yeah," Zoro chuckled. "We didn't start dating until our second year of highschool though, if that makes any difference. Anyway, he was originally from France, but his Dad moved him here to Japan when he was little. Sanji was a European guy who knew more Japanese than French." Zoro smiled at the memory.

A happy grin spread over Luffy's face. "That sounds cool, to speak two languages!"

"I know, right? Sanji's French was kind of choppy at best though, so he didn't bother to teach me any. Said we could take a language class when we got to Europe." Zoro's face took on a longing, wistful look.

Luffy didn't want Zoro to start feeling sad again, so he asked, "How were you so good at parkour? That was the best I've seen."

"Oh parkour!" Zoro smiled again, oblivious to having his unhappy thoughts derailed. "I've always been athletic, so I was good at that. Sanji was a chef, so his skills were culinary."

"I'm not really great at parkour either," Luffy said, grinning widely.

Just then, a knock sounded on the door, and they turned as Kuina entered. "Hi Boys!"

"Hi Kuina!" Luffy greeted happily.

"Hey Kuina. Is it lunchtime already?" Zoro asked, looking at the clock near his bed. "Damn! It is!"

"You had a long nap, didn't you?" She said, coming over and ruffling Zoro's hair.

"Stop that," he said, shaking his hair out. "So what's for lunch today?"

"You get to choose," she said elusively, beaming happily.

Zoro looked confused for a second. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"What I mean, Little Brother, is..." she began as she pulled down the railings on Zoro's bed. "They let me off work early, so I'm taking you out to eat."

Luffy grinned as he helped Kuina get Zoro into his chair. He was happy that Zoro was getting to leave the nursing home, at least for a while. "Hope you have fun Zoro! Wish I could go with you."

"What are you talking about?" Kuina asked. "You're coming with us. I'll need help with Zoro, and I'm sure he'd like you to come along anyway."

Luffy was delighted, until he remembered that he had only 700 beri on him. "I can't. I don't have much money."

"Don't worry about it," she said, waving a hand in dismissal. "It'll be my treat. Call it a little compensation. I appreciate what you're doing for Zoro."

Luffy grinned wide. "Sugee!"

They dressed Zoro in jeans, a pair of black and white sneakers, and a thick red jacket went over his hoodie.

"I've already checked you out so we can go once you're situated," Kuina said as she strapped Zoro into his chair and placed a face mask over his nose and mouth.

"What's the latest we have to have him back?" Luffy asked as he pulled the hood back over Zoro's head.

"No later than 8," Kuina said, packing the barbeque bib in her purse.

"What do they think I am, a library book?" Zoro asked as Luffy began tying the strings on his hoodie. "Don't tie those, they make it hard to move my head."

"The weather forecast says it's 50 degrees now, and it's supposed to drop down to the lower 40's toward early evening," Kuina informed him. "You're already sick. I don't want you getting sicker."

"With all the cold meds I've had, I feel great now," Zoro lied. He still felt a little under the weather, but not as bad as he had yesterday and this morning.

"Still, you need to stay warm. You're not feeling as great as you're letting on," Kuina gently said, knowing her brother. "Plus, your face is still slightly flushed."

"Do you think we should be taking him out then?" Luffy asked, concerned. "Since he's still sick."

Zoro shot him a look that clearly said, 'I don't wanna stay here'.

"You may be right..." she said as she walked over to the door, opening it. "But he doesn't get to get out and go anywhere often. So on the days I get off early, or have a whole day off, I try to take him places and do things with him."

Luffy felt it was great that Kuina wanted to stay involved in her little brother's life. There were so many elderly people here who had been just unceremoniously dumped into this home, never to hear from the rest of their family again.

"Anyway," she continued. "Let's get going, shall we?"

* * *

><p>"So where would you like to eat, Zoro?" Kuina asked as she pulled her van out of the nursing home parking lot into the street.<p>

"Somewhere that serves seafood would be nice," he said as he gazed out of the window at the overcast grey sky. "Or sukiyaki."

"I've never seen a van like this before," Luffy remarked as he turned his head to peer into the back where Zoro sat. The van had two seats in the front where he and Kuina sat, and a large area in the back where Zoro's power wheelchair was clamped down immobilized for his safety.

"Yeah, I got it shortly after we'd learned the extent of Zoro's injuries. I knew he wouldn't be able to ride in the car anymore, so I traded that in for this," she explained. "Not exactly the classiest ride, but it gets us to where we want to go." She beamed cheerfully.

"It's classy enough," Zoro spoke up from the back. "I like it."

"Yeah, me too," Luffy said, grinning back. "It's really cool!"

"Thanks," she said, as she turned onto the highway. "Okay Zoro, let me know where you want to go so I know what exit to turn off on."

* * *

><p><strong>Please read &amp; review if you like the fic so far! (^_^)<strong>


	5. Tanoshii no Hi

**Boy, did I ever struggle with this chapter. The restaurant part was easy, but just about everything else starting with the aquarium part? Yikes! I've never been to an aquarium before, but a big thank you goes to pingo1387 for helping me with that part of the chapter. Silver Ecstasy also was a big help even though I didn't really use her idea. Anyway, I just want to give them both credit for helping me.**

**There are parts in this chapter I enjoyed writing, and parts that were just a chore to write. Not the restaurant part, though, or the part where they were heading to the aquarium. That I liked writing.**

**As I looked back on the last chapter, I noticed that I'd inadvertantly made Zoro sound uncharacteristically girly as he was gushing about liking Sanji. If I revise this fic in the future, I'll fix that part**

**Koukakurui Eki = Crustacean Station. I know, I know, it sounds stupid, but as much as I racked my brain, I couldn't think of anything better. I mean NOT ANYTHING**

**Last but not least: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I'm so happy you liked it!**

* * *

><p>They arrived at Koukakurui Eki restaurant, parking and helping Zoro get his wheelchair down the van ramp. Going in, the hostess seated them at an accessible table where they each ordered their drinks.<p>

"I shouldn't have to drink sake with a straw..." Zoro muttered as he sipped through the straw from the cup Kuina held up to his lips. It tasted the same but wasn't the same experience.

"I know you want to be able to do things like before, but this is how things are right now," Kuina said sympathetically. "I'm sorry."

Zoro sighed, then he shrugged his shoulders, trying to indicate that he wanted his jacket removed.

"It _is_ a bit warm in here, isn't it?" Luffy remarked, standing up to remove Zoro's jacket, then his own before taking his seat again.

"Thanks," Zoro uttered gratefully.

"Have you ever been here Luffy?" Kuina asked as she looked up from the menu. "The shrimp scampi with the rice pilaf is really good."

"Yeah, I've been here before, but I usually get Grilled Tilapia with a side of fries," Luffy replied, looking for, and spotting it on the menu he was holding in front of himself and Zoro.

"I'd like the Shrimp and Lobster Fetticine Alfredo this time," Zoro told her as he scanned the menu.

Satisfied that everyone knew what they wanted, Kuina called the waiter over. When he arrived at the table, Kuina gave him their orders. "I'd like to get the Shrimp Scampi with rice pilaf and steamed broccoli for myself, Shrimp and Lobster Fetticine Alfredo for him," she said, indicating Zoro, "And Grilled Tilapia with a side of fries for him," she said, gesturing toward Luffy.

"Yes Ma'am, is there anything else you'd like?" The waiter asked.

"Not right now, thank you," Kuina replied, smiling warmly.

Handing each of them an oshibori, the waiter smiled back with a glint in his eye. "If you need anything, my name is Takashi," he said, before walking away from the table to put in their orders. Zoro's eyebrows furrowed as he watch him leave.

"He was nice," Kuina said, beaming, sipping her green tea. "Cute too."

"I dunno if I like him so much..." Zoro commented quietly.

Kuina chuckled brightly. "Looking out for your Big Sis? Don't worry, I can take care of myself. Besides, you're the only man in my life, and you will be for a while."

She opened her oshibori container, cleaned her hands, then opened Zoro's, and began wiping his hands.

"Why do you have to clean my hands?" He asked. "You're gonna be the one feeding me."

"Because you should have clean hands when you eat, even if you can't feed yourself," she said as she began to clean his face too, for good measure.

"Don't do this here!" Zoro said, in a hushed voice. "It's embarrassing!"

"It's okay, I'm done now," Kuina said, folding Zoro's oshibori neatly and placing it back into it's container.

Zoro sighed. It was like he was a baby again. But at least the warm cloth left his face feeling refreshed. He glanced over to Luffy who was cleaning his own.

"These oshibori are nice and warm!" The younger man said as he wiped his hands also, then replaced the towelette back into the container it came out of.

Luffy started as a tinkling tune sounded somewhere next to where Kuina sat on the other side of the table. Digging through her bag, she pulled out her cell phone.

"I'll be right back," she said, beginning to get up. "I gotta take this." She picked up her bag, and walked away from the table.

Luffy watched her retreat until she was just outside the front door, then he casually turned to Zoro, sipping his peach soda. "So is this your favorite place to eat?"

"Yeah, I love this place," Zoro answered, a bright smile on his face. "It would've been even better had Sanji worked here."

Luffy sat back in the booth seat. "I wish I could've tasted Sanji's food."

"I miss it," Zoro said, taking a deep breath; smile fading a bit.

"I know you do."

After a few minutes, Kuina came back, sitting down. "Good news Zoro. That was our lawyer. Looks like the other guy wants to settle this out of court like you wanted, to the tune of about 30,000,000 beri. Took long enough for him to decide."

"That's a nice amount of money," Luffy said, using his finger to draw in the condensation on his drink glass. Then he looked up. "But I think after all Zoro's been through, he deserves more. That guy nearly killed him, and if it weren't for him driving around drunk, Zoro would still be able to walk and be independent."

"I know, but Zoro doesn't wish to go through a lengthy trial," Kuina sighed. She also felt that Zoro deserved more, but knew how tiring and stressful a trial would be on her brother, even though his chances of winning were nearly one hundred percent.

"And I'd give up all that money if it would bring back Sanji," Zoro said, sighing and closing his good eye. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Yeah," Kuina agreed. "Let's just forget about all of that for now, and have a nice lunch." She took the barbeque bib out of her bag and fastened it around a blushing Zoro's neck.

It wasn't long before the food came; the waiter setting a hot plate of food in front of each of them. "Enjoy, and let me know if you need anything," he said, smiling sweetly at Kuina before he left them to their meals.

Zoro sighed, scowling at the retreating man's back. "He makes me mad."

"It's okay Zoro," Kuina assured him. "He doesn't mean any harm."

"I still don't like him," Zoro said, turning his attention to his food. Kuina was cutting up his noodles into bite-size spoonfuls.

Luffy noticed that Kuina would feed Zoro a few bites, then would take a bite of her own. Then she'd repeat the process. Once Zoro had had his fill, she then turned her full attention to the rest of her own meal.

"So," Kuina started, speaking to Luffy. "What's the story behind that hat you always wear?"

Luffy grasped the brim of the hat between two fingers and thumb. "It belongs to a friend of mine named Shanks. He's like a father to me, though I haven't seen him in ages. I made him a promise to keep it until he comes back to get it."

Zoro had wondered about the straw hat the younger man constantly wore either on his head or on a string around his neck, but he hadn't wanted to be intrusive. He figured that at some point, if Luffy had wanted him to know, he'd tell him. Still, he was glad Kuina asked him first.

"So that hat is special to you," Kuina said, plucking the tail off one of her shrimp.

"It's my treasure," Luffy replied grinning, placing a fry in his mouth.

The rest of lunch was filled with pleasant conversation. Then the waiter came over to ask if they wanted anything off the dessert menu.

"Apple pie!" Luffy exclaimed.

Kuina beamed, "That sounds good, we'll all have a slice."

"With two scoops of ice cream!" Luffy added.

"And two scoops of ice cream on his," she said, chuckling at Luffy's youthful enthusiasm. "And can we get a to-go container?"

"Sure thing!" Takashi said, winking at Kuina before going to put their order in.

Zoro felt it was a good thing he couldn't get out of his power wheelchair. This guy was really pissing him off! Who did he think he was, flirting with his sister?

"What are you so deep in thought about, Zoro?" Kuina asked.

Zoro flinched, startled out of his thoughts, before replying, "Nothing..."

"Don't worry, Zoro. I'm not interested in him," she assured him, hand on his arm.

It wasn't long before Takashi brought the pies on the plates with their ice cream, along with the bill.

"You know? I have a little sister who's just as protective of me as your brother is of you," he commented, surprising both Zoro and Kuina.

Kuina recovered first. "How'd you know he's my brother?"

He smiled in a friendly manner. "Just a hunch." He then turned his smile to Zoro. "I have a big sister too, and I'm the same way with her, so I understand where you're coming from. You don't want her to get hurt. Don't worry. I may flirt, but I keep my hands pretty much to myself."

Zoro opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again, unable to think of anything.

Kuina whipped out some cash, and gave it and the bill to Takashi, who went to retrieve her receipt. While they waited, Kuina fed Zoro his pie before eating her own.

When Takashi came back, he had another to-go box in his hand. He placed it in front of Zoro. "No hard feelings?" He asked, addressing Zoro.

Kuina opened it. It was full of steaming takoyaki.

Zoro was dumbstruck, and it took him a few seconds to answer. "...N-No hard feelings... Thanks..."

* * *

><p>"That's a was great lunch!" Luffy smiled as he rubbed his stuffed belly. "Thank you, Kuina!"<p>

"...I enjoyed it too, thanks..." Zoro piped in, distractedly. Then he once again turned to look out of the window.

Zoro sighed. He felt like a heel, getting so upset at that waiter for flirting with his sister. Kuina was right. It wasn't as if he was going to do anything. He'd just been having a bit of fun. Actually, it was probably because she was always so busy between working and taking care of his needs, that Kuina never even had a _chance_ to date. She was young and intelligent. Pretty, too. What kind of awful brother was he, to try to hold her back from what might be a happy and fulfilling relationship!

He wanted to escape this life of power wheelchairs and nursing homes. He wanted out of this life of complete dependency on those around him. He wasn't suicidal, but living like this was beginning to be too much.

At least, he had Luffy...

"Something's bothering you, isn't it, Zoro," Kuina said quietly, glancing at Zoro through the rearview mirror.

Zoro continued to gaze out of the window. "Not really..." He was silent for a while. And just when Kuina thought he wouldn't say anything more, he spoke in a way he never had before.

"Because of my accident, you're unable to live a normal life. I'm holding you back."

"Zoro, wha-"

"I got so jealous of that guy in the restaurant, when I should be happy for you to find someone you might like. Just because I'm... I'm like _this_... your whole life revolves around caring for me... And it shouldn't be that way. You should be doing things you want to do and having fun living life. Not spending all your off time caring for me."

"Zoro," Kuina said quietly to get her brother's attention. When she had it, she continued. "You have no doubt that I love and cherish you, right?"

Zoro shook his head. He had no doubt whatsoever.

"So why do you think you're holding me back?" She asked. "I love you enough that I _want_ to do things for you. I'm happy to take care of you. You're my little brother, and I wouldn't do it if I didn't love you."

"But Takashi-"

"I really wasn't interested in him. But if I do find someone, you won't be able to hold me back from the man I'm interested in," she said with a teasing smirk, causing the corners of Zoro's lips to turn up into a smile of their own. Then her smirk softened. "But no matter whom I date, or marry, you'll always come first in my life. And he'll just have to accept that."

To be honest, Zoro sometimes didn't feel worthy of the love Kuina had for him. Especially as he was now. He sometimes felt so useless, like a ragdoll, but still she cherished him. This gave him a warm feeling inside.

"So... Where would you like to go next, Zoro?"

Zoro thought for a moment. He hadn't been anywhere fun in so long, it was hard for him to decide. "I don't know... The aquarium would be nice, I guess."

Luffy agreed, saying, "Great pick, Zoro!"

"Alright, next stop, All Blue Aquarium!"

* * *

><p>After Kuina paid their way in, Zoro and Luffy gazed around themselves in wonder at the tanks and tubes of different kinds of fish, jellyfish, shrimp, and other sealife.<p>

"So what do you boys want to see first?" Kuina asked.

"I'm not a boy, Luffy is," Zoro said, motioning to the younger man with his head. He was looking up at Kuina with his brow slightly furrowed.

"I'm nineteen!" Luffy exclaimed. "How am I a boy?"

Zoro turned to Luffy, grinning, "You're younger than me. That makes you a boy!"

Luffy reached up and ruffled Zoro's soft, fluffy hair.

"Stop that!" Zoro cried out, shaking his head.

"Not until you admit I'm not a boy!"

"Okay! Okay! You're not a boy!"

Luffy was just about to remove his hand when Zoro said under his breath, "If you really wanna be a girl that badly..." Luffy stuck both hands in Zoro's hair, ruffling as Zoro laughed.

"Alright, alright!" Kuina laughed as she brushed Zoro's unruly hair back into place. "So what do you _guys_ want to see?"

"I wanna- Oooh, Zoro! Look at that octopus!" Luffy pointed to a tube above him. "It changes colors!"

Zoro looked to the tube Luffy had indicated. "Wow, I wonder what it's original color is," he said, watching it turn from yellow to a purplish color.

"Actually," a voice to their left said, startling them both. "It's original color is grey." He went on to tell them the type of octopus it was, and where it could be found in the sea.

"It's really beautiful, for such a creature," Kuina said as she gazed at the fluid movements of the animal.

While Kuina was more interested in the fish, Zoro and Luffy seemed interested in the more... unusual sea animals in the tanks and tubes.

"Look, lobsters!" Luffy pointed, then placed his hands on the glass to get a better view.

"Yeah, it's weird that they aren't red until they're cooked," Zoro marveled. "I wonder why they turn red anyway?"

"I dunno..." Luffy said, still pressed against the glass. Then, after a moment, he suggested, "Hey Zoro, let's go to the tide pool display. It has all these cool animals you can touch!"

"Really?" Zoro's eyebrows shot up. "Let's go then!"

Upon reaching the tide pool display, Luffy immediately realized there was going to be a problem. Although the display wasn't very tall, Zoro couldn't stand up to reach into it, and sitting in his chair as he was put the display completely out of Zoro's reach. Luffy thought about taking the animals and placing them into his friend's hands, but a nearby sign read, 'Please do not remove the sealife.' Luffy scratched his head. This was a dilemma he couldn't figure out.

"Hey, it's okay," Zoro assured, trying to hide his disappointment. "I can just see something else."

"But it's not fair!" Luffy complained. "You should be able to do the same things as the rest of us."

Zoro shrugged. "Touching a starfish isn't exactly one of my main life goals, Luffy." He then put on a false smile. "Really, it's fine."

Even though Zoro was smiling, Luffy could feel the green-haired man's disappointment as if it were his own. If Zoro couldn't enjoy the tide pool display, then _he_ wouldn't either. "Kuina's over by the otters. Wanna join her?"

"Yeah," Zoro said. "Couldn't hurt, I guess."

"Zoro! Luffy! Come and look at the otters!" Kuina called to them. Luffy walked with Zoro as the latter manuevered his chair over to the otter exhibit.

Zoro's face lit up as he watched the energetic mammals. They dived and surfaced, some playing and some sleeping. There was one playing with a beach ball, and another going down a plastic slide, which brought a joyful smile to the green-haired man's face.

Luffy noticed after a while, that Zoro was getting tired and looking as if he weren't feeling well again. He'd gotten quieter and more subdued. Kuina must have noticed this too, for she asked quietly, "You ready to go back now, Zoro?"

"Yeah," he surprised them both by saying. "I'm tired."

"I wanted to go to the gift shop before we left," Luffy said as he pulled up Zoro's sweatshirt hood. "But I guess that can wait for another time."

"I wanna go to the gift shop too, actually," Zoro said, surprising them again.

"Well... I guess it couldn't hurt to stay a few more minutes," Kuina conceded as they walked into the store with Zoro wheeling himself behind them.

"They have sea animal plushies!" Luffy said as he trotted over to the display. He looked at the price tag on one of them. "Kinda expensive though."

Zoro looked over the selection of plushies. His eyes settled on one in particular. "This plush lobster makes me think of you."

Luffy looked up from perusing price tags. "How so?"

"Lobsters like to grab things," Zoro smiled. "And so do you."

"No I don't! Oh look, an octopus!" He said as he grabbed the green and pink plushie from its place on the rack.

Zoro just grinned smugly. Luffy realized what he'd done and put it back on the rack.

"No, no, get it, if that's what you want," Zoro said as Luffy gazed longingly at the plushie. "I'm not usually into cute things, but I like it."

Luffy picked it up again. "He _is_ cute. I think I'll name him after you. Octo-Zoro!"

"And his sidekick, um... Lobster Luffy!" Zoro said as Luffy picked up the bright red lobster plushie and placed it into Zoro's lap.

Kuina walked over from where she'd been admiring shell and sand dollar jewelry. In her hand was a necklace that consisted of a tiny bottle of even tinier colored jewel-like beads in water, attached to a short, black leather cord. "You guys ready to checkout?"

"Yep!" Luffy showed Kuina their finds. "Look! It's Octo-Zoro! Lobster Luffy is his sidekick!"

"That's nice," she said, actually meaning it and not being condescending or patronizing like other people would have been. "If they are anything like you two, they'll get along great!"

As they walked (and wheeled themselves) to the register, Zoro asked. "What's that in your hand?"

"A little something for you," she said as she paid for their purchases.

When they were outside the gift shop, Kuina stood on one side of Zoro, clasping the necklace around his neck. "You like?"

He looked down. The leather cord was so short, he couldn't really see the tiny bottle of jewels. "I can't see it..." He said.

"Just a second," Kuina said as she rummaged around in her bag, taking out a small mirror. She held it so Zoro could see the bottle. "See?"

Zoro smiled appreciatively, "I like it. What made you buy it?"

"I just thought that it would look nice on you," she said.

"Thanks, Kuina."

* * *

><p>"Zoro, Zoro, wake up. We're back now," he heard Kuina's hushed voice saying. He opened his eyes. He was not only back at the home, but he was in his room.<p>

Luffy took Lobster Luffy out of his bag and set him on Zoro's bed. "You fell asleep on the way here," he said to Zoro.

Kuina unstrapped a yawning Zoro from his chair, beginning to undress him. As she did so, Luffy opened a drawer and got out a pair of fleece pajamas which they both dressed him in.

Once they got Zoro into bed, Kuina went to warm up the takoyaki that Takashi had given them.

While she was gone, Luffy pulled the blankets up to Zoro's chest, tucking his tired friend in. Though the flush was back in Zoro's face full force, he also sported a look of contentment. "You enjoyed yourself today, didn't you?"

Zoro nodded sleepily. "Today was a great day."

Luffy tucked his lobster namesake in with Zoro, "I hope we can do it again sometime."

Zoro's sleepy eyes closed of their own accord, and his head lolled to the side. "Me too."

After a few minutes, Kuina came back in the room with the heated food. "Zoro, wait, don't go to sleep yet. You have to eat."

It took some effort, but Zoro was able to crack open eyelids that really wanted nothing more than to stay closed.

As Kuina fed Zoro his dinner, Luffy noticed how gentle and patient she always was with him. For someone who wasn't blood-related to her, she sure treated him as if he was. After he was done eating, she offered what was left of the food to Luffy, before lowering the head of Zoro's bed and dimming the light.

"Goodnight, Little Brother," she said as she brushed back his hair and kissed him on his forehead as she usually did.

* * *

><p><strong>If beri = yen, then 30,000,000 beri would roughly correspond to about $300,000 or thereabouts. That's still a nice chunk o' change<strong>

**Please Read & Review, thank you so much!**


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